Fundraising Groups

WELCOMING OUR NEW FUNDRAISING GROUPS

Our amazing Fundraising Groups champion the fight to find a cure for brain tumours while enjoying the support of our Community Development, Marketing and PR & Communications teams to maximise their fundraising and profile within their communities.

We have welcomed these four new Groups to our family since our Spring 2022 issue:

Albie with his parents Hayley and Lauren

Rashpal Lotay

ALBIE AND BEYOND

This Fundraising Group has been set up to keep the memory of two-year-old Albie Bayliss-Watts alive and to ensure he leaves a lasting legacy. Albie was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive brain tumour after having an out-of-the-blue seizure and later vomiting in the mornings. Despite emergency surgery and intensive chemotherapy, Albie died less than a year after diagnosis, on 28th November 2021, leaving his parents, Hayley and Lauren, heartbroken. Lauren said: “Albie touched so many people’s hearts and filled our world with nothing but pure joy. Hayley and I are now dedicated to supporting research into brain tumours in the hope that no other family will have to suffer like ours.”

Albie Bayliss-Watts in hospital

ASCENSION

Set up in memory of loving wife and mother-of-four Rashpal Lotay, her son

Tj chose the name Ascension because most of his fundraising events centre around hiking and climbing mountains and because he doesn’t feel his mother has passed away, more that she has ascended and is watching over him. Rashpal was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2009 and fought the tumour for 10 years, undergoing surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Rashpal with her family

Off icially LISACONNELLF U N D R A ISING GROUP

OFFICIALLY LISA CONNELL

Now 43, Lisa is living with a brain tumour and has set up this Group to improve outcomes for brain tumour patients and ultimately to help find a cure. Lisa was diagnosed with a meningioma, aged 26, after falling pregnant and losing the baby. She underwent Gamma Knife Surgery and later surgery and radiotherapy. Lisa now lives with regular painful facial spasms, but amazingly has a miracle daughter, now aged six, after being told she couldn’t have children as meningiomas can grow dramatically in pregnant women due to hormonal change.

Lisa and Ruby on Wear A Hat Day Lisa and Ruby after her birth

REMEMBERING RAYHAN

The family of Rayhan who died aged four, just four months after diagnosis with a medulloblastoma brain tumour, has set up this Group. Despite several surgical procedures and radiotherapy, Rayhan’s tumour continued to grow and he passed away just after beginning chemotherapy treatment. His parents, Nadia and Sarfraz, dearly hope that Rayhan’s legacy will make a difference and bring about better outcomes for brain tumour patients in the future. Nadia said: “Rayhan was on his first round of chemotherapy when he died. We were helpless and heartbroken as we watched our beautiful boy change from being once full of laughter and energy to becoming paralysed and unable to communicate or move.”

Main picture: Rayhan Majid Inset above: Rayhan with his parents Sarfraz and Nadia For more information and to join our family of Fundraising Groups, visit:

www.braintumourresearch.org/ become-a-fundraising-group

Main picture: Albie wearing his favourite hat Inset below: Brave the Shave for Albie Inset right: Wear A Hat Day at the Royal Oak

Around £7,700

raised

NEWS

FROM OUR FUNDRAISING GROUPS

We always love to hear from our Fundraising Groups and supporters about what they’ve been up to and how they’re funding the fight to find a cure.

ALBIE AND BEYOND

Two-year-old Albie died in November 2021, less than a year after his diagnosis with an aggressive brain tumour. This dreadful loss has inspired massive support for one of our newest Fundraising Groups. His mum Hayley, pub manager of The Royal Oak in Didcot, encouraged colleagues at 14 other Oxfordshire pubs to also get involved with Wear A Hat Day, when around £2,500 was raised. In February, led by Hayley’s dad Mick, 10 people braved having their heads shaved, raising £5,275. Katie on Wear A Hat Day

BRAINSTORM

Katie Smith, who set up this Fundraising Group after being diagnosed with an oligoastrocytoma, showed her support for Wear A Hat Day (which coincided with the fourth anniversary of her second brain surgery) by sharing a number of photos of herself on social media wearing a range of headgear as well as pitching up at her local Morrisons to run a Brain Tumour Research stall. Katie also took on the challenge of walking 10,000 Steps a Day in February which helped to bring Brainstorm’s fundraising total to date to more than £30,000.

Main picture: Katie with her medal for 10,000 Steps a Day

Over £30,000 raised

The Lorn’s Legacy

Over £16,000

raised THE LORN’S LEGACY

Some 200 people took part, along with a number of energetic dogs, in The Lorn’s Legacy’s seventh annual park run with participants asked to wear green to honour Lorna Atkinson who lost her life to a glioblastoma (GBM) just 18 months after diagnosis. Because of the pandemic, the previous two had to be held virtually. Lorna’s daughters, Lisa and Louise, organised a raffle and homemade cakes in return for a donation at the park’s café afterwards, helping to bring funds raised to date by the Fundraising Group to more than £16,000.

MIA’S PEGASUS FUND

This Fundraising Group was inspired by a six-yearold who passed away just 10 days after diagnosis with a brain tumour. Laceys of Bournemouth, the firm of solicitors where Mia’s aunt Laura works, signed up to take part in Brainathlon – a week-long walk, run and climb relay challenge for Brain Research UK, Brain Tumour Research and Epilepsy Research UK. A team of 16 colleagues walked 10 miles, ran 15 miles and climbed 1.2 miles, over six days finishing with a picnic with their families and hope the final fundraising tally will be at least £3,000 including a pledged £1,000 donation from the partners. It means that to date, Mia’s Pegasus Fund has raised around £25,000.

Main picture: Lisa’s partner, Michael at The Park Run with Daisy Inset: Louise and Lisa in the park café and cakes All picture credits: Stuart Whitman Photography

Around ZARA’S APPEAL FOR A CURE

Zara, who set up the Fundraising Group after her diagnosis with a GBM aged 30 in January last year, held her first fundraising party night event in April hoping to raise around £2,000.

With a raffle and an auction, a sweet cart, a DJ to play some hot sounds and a hot pot supper to be enjoyed by the more than 100 guests, the grand total came to a whopping £7,170. Great job Zara!

Over £7,000 raised

Laceys’ Brainathlon team £25,000

raised

To find out more about or to support one of our Fundraising Groups, visit: www.braintumourresearch.org/ become-a-fundraising-group